Help Mel Move Home
Donation protected
This is my friend Mel. We have known each other for 6 years, and as anyone who knows her will tell you she is a wonderful, caring person who deserves only the best in life. Unfortunately, she has also had a lot to contend with over the last few years.
The Backstory
After around a year of being very unwell, struggling to work and undergoing many tests, Mel was finally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue / M.E in 2014. This debilitating and little understood disease has meant that this formerly active, athletic young woman has frequently been made essentially housebound because her body will simply shut down. Despite this, she has continued to work as a social worker advocating for children in foster care/facing homelessness; an already demanding job without having to contend with a chronic illness.
Last year she found out that she was pregnant!
She and her partner moved across the country from regional Victoria to Mackay QLD to take advantage of fulltime positions that they had both been offered, in order to set themselves up for the arrival of their new baby boy. However, over the Christmas period her partner went to back to his home in New Zealand for a week long holiday to visit his family. For the next three weeks he kept extending his return date, eventually telling Mel that he was moving back to New Zealand, abandoning her and their unborn child. Most of this communication was done via text, and he is still yet to offer any real explanation, with him continuing to periodically dangling hope of return and playing on her emotions.
I think Mel says it best here: “I drained all the savings I had for the baby last year, when I financially supported him for months after he quit his job for no reason. This ran into the thousands and then I financed our move. He has now left me to shoulder the entire rent and living costs here, purchase everything for the baby as we hadn’t gotten anything yet, left me to care and cover financial costs for his puppy and then find money to move once again. With my health I can’t afford to get a full time job and pay for child care when the baby comes; we were going to be sharing that cost and also the parenting duties so my health didn’t collapse.”
Although she has tried to find a way to remain where she is and make her current situation work, the cost of renting in a mining town by herself is steep, and despite searching she has been unable to find anyone willing to share housing with in light of the baby coming. This means that she is now facing another cross country move back to Victoria – this time while seven months pregnant. Her partner has also left her to move all of the belongings that he left behind, with the expectation that she will store it for him until he is able to collect it / have it shipped to him.
I’m asking you to help Mel move back home.
The funds raised here will go towards relocating Mel and her furniture / belongings back to Victoria, 2 weeks rent in advance so that she can secure housing, and supplies and care items for the baby so that everything is ready for his arrival.
Thank you so much for reading – if you know Mel then you know that this is a worthy cause for someone who keeps getting dealt blows despite doing everything she can for others. Any money you can possibly give would be incredibly appreciated.
The Backstory
After around a year of being very unwell, struggling to work and undergoing many tests, Mel was finally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue / M.E in 2014. This debilitating and little understood disease has meant that this formerly active, athletic young woman has frequently been made essentially housebound because her body will simply shut down. Despite this, she has continued to work as a social worker advocating for children in foster care/facing homelessness; an already demanding job without having to contend with a chronic illness.
Last year she found out that she was pregnant!
She and her partner moved across the country from regional Victoria to Mackay QLD to take advantage of fulltime positions that they had both been offered, in order to set themselves up for the arrival of their new baby boy. However, over the Christmas period her partner went to back to his home in New Zealand for a week long holiday to visit his family. For the next three weeks he kept extending his return date, eventually telling Mel that he was moving back to New Zealand, abandoning her and their unborn child. Most of this communication was done via text, and he is still yet to offer any real explanation, with him continuing to periodically dangling hope of return and playing on her emotions.
I think Mel says it best here: “I drained all the savings I had for the baby last year, when I financially supported him for months after he quit his job for no reason. This ran into the thousands and then I financed our move. He has now left me to shoulder the entire rent and living costs here, purchase everything for the baby as we hadn’t gotten anything yet, left me to care and cover financial costs for his puppy and then find money to move once again. With my health I can’t afford to get a full time job and pay for child care when the baby comes; we were going to be sharing that cost and also the parenting duties so my health didn’t collapse.”
Although she has tried to find a way to remain where she is and make her current situation work, the cost of renting in a mining town by herself is steep, and despite searching she has been unable to find anyone willing to share housing with in light of the baby coming. This means that she is now facing another cross country move back to Victoria – this time while seven months pregnant. Her partner has also left her to move all of the belongings that he left behind, with the expectation that she will store it for him until he is able to collect it / have it shipped to him.
I’m asking you to help Mel move back home.
The funds raised here will go towards relocating Mel and her furniture / belongings back to Victoria, 2 weeks rent in advance so that she can secure housing, and supplies and care items for the baby so that everything is ready for his arrival.
Thank you so much for reading – if you know Mel then you know that this is a worthy cause for someone who keeps getting dealt blows despite doing everything she can for others. Any money you can possibly give would be incredibly appreciated.
Organizer
Shauna Gough
Organizer
Moonee Vale VIC
